Finding Resources and Value in Unlikely Places

In this issue of the Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, we see papers focused on finding value in unlikely resources. Papers from this issue evaluate the enzymes and their activities from the digestive tract of Totaoba macdonaldi. This species, a type of drum, was banned from commercial fishing in 1975. However, because of its remarkable growth rate, it is a potential candidate for aquaculture development. This study seeks to understand enzymes from the digestive tract not only to better understand digestive physiology but also to determine its value as a potential by-product resource. Another paper reports on nutritional compositional differences that are found in the lipid fractions of crab muscle and edible viscera. Again, the authors are focused on understanding the potential commercial value of a part of the resource that is low-valued. They report that the edible viscera contained more lipid in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG) as opposed to the phospholipid (PL). The latter being the more common form of lipid found in the muscle. They also, however, report that both EPA and DHA were abundant in both the edible viscera and the meat. Finally, Truong et al. are seeking ways to create strong gels from unwashed fish mince. Their approach was to look at high-pressure processing as a means to perhaps alter protein structure sufficiently to enhance gelation. Although the gels they formed under the conditions utilized were not as strong as those formed by the washed form of the mince, this type of out of the box thinking is crucial to seeking alternative, more sustainable means of processing.